Maxwell introduces the book by observing that leadership is mostly a
developed skill, not an innate ability. People who have a “natural
leadership ability” may have some natural ability, but most of it is because
they have experienced good leadership and have learned from it. Although Maxwell does not directly develop this theme, he repeatedly
stresses that leadership is about developing others, and anyone can learn to
help others develop.

The theme of the book is that leadership is essentially about developing
others. Bosses command people, but leaders develop people. Leadership is also very much about influence, indeed, “influence” is a
succinct definition of leadership, but influence comes because you invest in
people. Maxwell lists five level of leadership:

Positional leadership: people follow you because you have the
title, but do not have much commitment to you or your goals. If
you stay here too long, you will probably end up using control
techniques to motivate people.

Permissional leadership: people follow you because they know you
care about them. This is foundational; you cannot skip this
step. Obviously, you need to actually care about your people or
you will be manipulating them.

Production: people follow you because of what you have done for
the organization. At this level, people get together because they
want to get things accomplished.

People development: people follow you because of what you have
done for them.

Personhood: people follow you because of what you
represent. The few that reach this level are larger-than-life.

When you change groups, you start over from level one.

Since leadership is about developing people, integrity is one of the key
characters of a leader. If you do not have integrity, you cannot win
the trust of your followers, and hence, cannot lead. Related to this
is that the higher up in leadership you go, the more you exchange rights
for responsibilities. John D. Rockefeller said, “I believe that
every right implies a responsibility, every opportunity, an obligation,
every possession, a duty.” (41)

Another key character of a leader is a positive attitude. Maxwell
quotes several studies showing the effect of attitude. Three
randomly selected teachers with randomly selected students were told that
they students were the top students. The teachers and students loved
the class, and the students did about 30% better than the others, even
though neither the students nor the teachers were above-average. Similarly, when Maxwell asks people to name a characteristic of someone
they admire, 95% give an attitude of that person. Since attitude is
so important, you need to take steps to create a positive attitude in
yourself first, and your followers second. You can do this by
determining what thinking results in the problem feelings, and replacing
it with different thinking. You can also change your attitude by
changing your behavior. If you want to cultivate thankfulness, for
example, give everyone a compliment once a day.

The difference between a leader and a follower is that leaders have
vision. They see what is not yet as thought it were. Simply
pursuing your dream merely makes you an achiever; persuading others
to follow your dream is what makes you a leader. Maxwell gives three
levels of vision:

Seeing now through the lens of reality.

Seeing what will be through discernment.

Seeing what could be.

Leaders live on all three levels. However, when you cast vision to
people, you have to start from level one. Some people are stuck at
seeing only level one and Maxwell does not identify how to deal with
that. He does say that you bring people to level two by painting a
picture of what could be, as well as identifying how the organizations
goals can help achieve the individual’s goals. Finally, you need to
invest in quality people to bring the organization to level three.

One of the jobs of a leader is to lead the organization through
change. Change is inevitable, and essential for continued
success. In fact, Maxwell lists contentment with the current state
as a negative leadership trait. However, the problem with bringing
change is that most people do not want to
change. The leader must first change himself, the leader must
make sure that the change benefits the followers. Then, to change
the organization the leader needs to get the people to own the idea. This takes several exposures to the idea, since we rarely own a new idea
the first time we hear it. However, it also requires that people be
involved in the process, so make sure to ask for key influencers’
input in implementing the change and make sure they are supportive. Also, announce the change well in advance, be open to feedback, let them
know you are confident that they can implement the change, and celebrate
along the way as people implement pieces of it.

Solving problems is another function of a leader. In fact, the
higher up in leadership you are, the more difficult the problems will be; if the problem were easy, people below you would have figured it
out. The good thing is that problems and success are related. The boll weevil destroyed cotton production in the South, but it forced
the replacement of a cotton monoculture with a much more diverse
agriculture that also created more wealth, so much so that there is a
monument to the boll weevil in Enterprise, Alabama. In fact, many
people’s problems caused their success: Abraham Lincoln (poverty),
George Washington (Valley Forge), Booker T. Washington (discrimination). Generally when people come to you with a problem, you should not solve it
for them. Instead, give them the tools to solve it. Be their
coach and walk them through solving it.

Maxwell also notes a few other important characteristics of
leaders. One is prioritizing the important things. 80% of the
results come from 20% of the effort, so figure out what that 20% is and
make sure you do it. Another important characteristic is
self-discipline—many noted leaders have said that their greatest enemy is
themselves.

Finally, leaders prioritize developing their followers. As noted
before, it is essential for the leaders to truly care about their people,
and to seek their benefit. Too many “leaders” seek their own
benefit; this is not leading, this is using people. Since we
have finite time, invest in the 20% of your people that are the key
influencers. Make sure you know their personal goals and help them
achieve those at the organization. Also, make sure that your people
know that they will get guidance when they need it, that have the
opportunity to perform, and that they will be rewarded accordingly.

This book can be quickly summarized: leadership is influence; influence comes from developing your followers. Although simple in
outline, Maxwell gives a lot of concrete suggestions on how to implement
this. The book assumes that the reader has a leadership role, but
people without a leadership role can still change themselves first. Coming from a place of some small leadership experience but no current
role, this book feels like a great resource for the future. Most
importantly, though, is the idea that leadership is developing your
followers; leadership is getting others to own your dream. My
previous thoughts on leadership were something vaguely that leadership is
about directing people for organizational success. That is not something
I want to do or feel like I am good at. But bringing people into my
blue-sky dreams and developing them sounds much more exciting and is
something that is actionable now.

Review: 9

The book sometimes feels a little cliche. It makes heavy use of
personal anecdotes in the way that everyone tells you to connect with your
audience in public speaking, so they happen in predictable places and and
sometimes act as a bit of a diversion. However, Maxwell also uses some
quotes to great effect. The content is sometimes a bit general, or obvious at times, but as a whole provides a complete package of how to develop
yourself as a leader. It feels a bit too much like a seminar and like it
often does not get to the core, or does not express it succinctly, to be a
hundred-year book, although it does have good potential. It is going strong
after twenty years (as of this writing), so it obviously has staying power.

Leadership is mostly learned. You can be born with some amount,
but mostly it is learning through observation, training, and, and
self-discipline.

Four kinds of leaders:

Leading leader: born with leadership qualities, has seen
leadership modeled, learned through training, has the self-discipline
required to become a great leader.

Learned leader: seen leadership modeled, learned through
training, has the required self-discipline.

Latent leader: has see little leadership modeled, is learning
through training, has the required self-discipline.

Limited leader: little exposure to leaders or leadership training,
but has the desire to be a leader.

Ch. 1: The Definition of Leadership: “Influence”

The definition of leadership is “influence.” A similar
definition is “the ability to obtain followers.”

Influence can be increased. Communicating effectively leads to
recognition, which leads to influence.

Five levels of leading:

Position: you only get the authority that comes with your
title. People follow because they have to.

“Security is based on title, not talent.” (6) If you stay at
level 1 too long, you start getting into org charts, tradition,
politics, etc.

“This level is often gained by appointment.” (6)

“People will not follow a positional leader beyond his stated
authority.” (6)

“Positional leaders have more difficulty working with volunteers,
white-collar workers, and younger people” (6) because volunteers are
not working for money, white-collar workers expect to be part of the
decision-making and resent dictatorial leadership, and young people
are not impressed by symbols of authority.

“The boss drives his workers; the leader coaches them.
The boss depends on authority; the leader on goodwill.
The boss says ‘I'; the leader, ‘we.’
The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes
the breakdown.
The boss knows how it is done; the leader shows how.
The boss says, ‘Go!'; the leader says, ‘Let’s go!’” (6)

Permission: people follow you because they know you care about
them.

This is foundational. You cannot skip this step!

You cannot lead people if you do not love them.

At this level, people get together because they like getting
together.

Production: things get accomplished, problems are solved,
momentum is created. “People follow because of what you have
done for the organization.” (13)

At this level, people get together because they want to get stuff
accomplished. (Presupposes #2)

People development: “people follow because of what you have
done for them.” (13)

“A leader is great, not because of his or her power, but because
of his or her ability to empower others.” (10) “... the true
leader can be recognized because somehow his people consistently
demonstrate superior performance.” (10)

The leader develops key leaders around him. “Loyalty to the
leader reaches its highest peak when the follower has personally
grown through the mentorship of the leader. ... At level 2: follower loves the leader; at level 3, the follower admires
the leader; at level 4, the follower is loyal to the
leader. Why? You win people’s hearts by helping them
grow personally.” (10)

The danger is that you get used to the people around you following
you out of loyalty while newer people see you as a positional
leader, so you need to have some way of continuing a personal touch.
"Walk slowly through the crowd.” (11)

Personhood: people follow because of who you are and what you
represent. Few make it here, but those who do are larger than
life. (13)

Every time you move to a new job or circle of friends you have to
start over at level 1.

Ch. 2: The Key to Leadership: Priorities

“Practical people know how to get what they want. Philosophers
know what they ought to want. Leaders know how to get what they
ought to want.” (19)

20 percent produces 80 of the results. So do the 20% of the
things that give 80% of the results, invest in the 20% of the people
that give 80% of the results, etc.

How do you identify key people? If they withdrew their
support, would you be able to accomplish your goals? If not,
they are key.

Leaders tend to initiate, followers tend to respond. Leaders
choose who will fill their calendars, follows fill their calendars by
those who request them.

Make sure you know what your position requires of you; make sure
it gets done.

What gives me the best return?

What is most rewarding about my job? Get your responsibilities
to line up with what is most rewarding.

Prioritize the highly important things.

Ch. 3: The Most Ingredient of Leadership: Integrity

People expect leaders to have honesty, competence vision, and
inspiration.

People follow integrity. Leaders who have no integrity cannot
win the trust of their followers.

The higher up you climb in an organization, fewer rights and more
responsibilities you have. John D. Rockefeller, Jr.: “I believe
that every right implies a responsibility, every opportunity, an
obligation, every possession, a duty.” (41)

Ch. 4: The Ultimate Test of Leadership: Creating Positive
Change

Twelve troublespots of a leader (five are related to unwillingness to
change):

Has a poor understanding of people

Lacks imagination

Has personal problems

Passes the buck

Feels secure and satisfied (i.e. complacent)

Is not organized

Flies into rages

Will not take a risk

Is insecure and defensive

Stays inflexible

Has no team spirit

Fights change (49 - 50)

The leader must be changed first; only then can the followers
change.

The change could make sense logically, but make you feel insecure
psychologically (or vice-versa). It is important to distinguish
between the two.

People (in general) are always resistant to change. Especially:

when they don’t have ownership of the idea.

when the purpose is unclear (often because it gets handed down from
above, instead of coming from their level)

when the rewards don’t make the effort required

when people are too satisfied with the status quo

when people are always focusing on the negatives

because it disrupts their routine (making things harder than before,
like changing your golf swing takes a lot of effort, even though it
will benefit you)

because it creates fear of the unknown

because it creates fear of failure

Some people will be negatively impacted by the change; make sure
to talk to those people individually, and help them work out a solution
(for instance, help finding a new job)

Cycle of change:

Stage 1:
Create

↗

↘

Stage 4:
Change

Stage 2:
Conserve

↖

↙

Stage 3:
Criticize

Checklist to go through before attempting change. The more “no”
answers mean change will be more difficult.

Will this change benefit the followers?

Is this change compatible with the purpose of the organization?

Is this change specific and clear?

Are the top 20 percent (the influencers) in favor of this change?

Is it possible to test this change before making a total commitment
to it?

Are physical, financial, and human resources available to make this
change?

Is this change reversible?

Does this change have both short- and long-range benefits?

Is the leadership capable of bringing about this change?

Is the timing right? (63)

It takes people repeated exposures to an idea to own it.

The leader must have the trust of his followers to effect change.

Make sure to get the influencers on board before announcing the
change.

Give people ownership of the change: announce it well in
advance, show how it will benefit them, be open to feedback, let them
know you are confident in them to implement it, celebrate as people
implement the change.

Change tends to be bad when it is a bad idea, the influencers don’t
accept it, is presented ineffectively, is self-serving for the leaders,
based only on the past, part of too many changes (or too fast)

Ch. 5: The Quickest Way to Gain Leadership: Problem Solving

The four most common reasons for poor performance of people are: they don’t know what they should do, how to do it, why they are doing
it, or things outside their control (e.g. work, home, life in general). The first three are training problems. The last is where problem
solving comes in.

Problems and success are related: water resistance is the main
problem for boats, but is also the reason why boats can move; the
boll weevil destroyed the cotton monoculture in the South, but forced a
diversification that made the South wealthier.

Not everyone wants to be problem-free; sometimes when you solve
someone’s problem they find a new one.

“If I can’t do something about a problem, it’s not my problem; it’s a fact of life.” (81)

Many seemingly unsolvable problems have lots of solutions if you
relax some assumptions. (e.g. the nine dot problem has many
solutions, if you relax the assumptions of: you can’t go outside
the grid, you have to go through the center of the points, the paper
needs to be flat, you can’t cut up the paper into little pieces, stack
them up and stick the pen through.

Develop problem solvers:

Invest time into people before they have a problem.

Don’t solve their problem for them, walk them through solving their
problem.

Some approaches:

“Never allow others to think you always have the best
answers. This will only make them dependent on you.” (95)

“Become a coach, not a king. A coach brings out the best in
others, helping them to reach deep down inside and discover their
potential. A king only gives commands.” (95)

“List their solutions on paper. Integrate your ideas with
theirs until they have ownership of them.” (95)

“Ask them to decide on the best solution to their problem.” (95)

“Policies change when their use is no longer essential. Principles
do not change. ... Policies work well for lower management and
operational matters. A policy’s intent is to give clear direction
and allow a better flow in the organization. Many organizational
problems will stay solved with the implementation of solid policy.
... A principle is for everyone in the organization at all times
[e.g. ‘Always take the high road.']” (94)

Ch. 6: The Extra Plus in Leadership: Attitude

When the author asks people to describe a characteristic of a friend
they admire, 95% of the words are attitudes, not skills or looks.

Your attitude influences how you see others: if you are
suspicious of them, you will see them act suspiciously.

Three random teachers were given a set of random students, but were
told that the students were the smartest students. The students
performed 20 - 30 percent better, and the students and teachers enjoyed
the classes. The only difference was expectation.

People with emotional problems are 144% more likely to get into an
accident.

Attitude is the most important factor in success, much more than
technical skill.

We can always choose our attitude. We may not be able to
control our situation, be we can always choose how to respond to it.

“Many times people who have suffered adverse situations in their
lives become bitter and angry. Over time, their lives will be
negative and hardened towards others. The tendency for them is
to point back to a difficult time and say, ‘That incident ruined my
life.’ What they do not realize is that the incident called for
an attitude decision—a response. Their wrong attitude choice,
not the condition, ruined their lives.” (105)

Your followers catch your attitude.

How to change your attitude:

Identify problematic feelings

Identify behavior that results in problematic feelings

Identify the problematic thinking

Identify the right thinking

Commit publicly to the right thinking and develop a plan for
thinking rightly.

Changing your behavior will change your attitude.

If you tell your kids “change your attitude,” it is too
general. But if you have them do a concrete behavior (give a
compliment to every member of the family every day) then their
attitude (lack of thankfulness) changes.

Ch. 7: Developing Your Most Appreciable Asset: People

Guy Ferguson:

“To know how to do a job is the accomplishment of labor;
To be available to tell others is the accomplishment of the
teacher;
To be able to tell others how to do better work is the
accomplishment of management;
To be able to do all three is the accomplishment of true
leaders.” (115)

Three levels of people/work skills:

“The person who works better with people is a follower.” (116)

“The person who helps people work better is a manager.” (116)

“The person who develops better people to work is a leader.” (116)

Assumptions I make about people that are key to my success:

“Everyone wants to feel worthwhile” (118) So learn how to make
people feel important. Napoleon knew every officer in his army,
and would chat with them about battles they were in, and asked about
their hometown and family.

“Everyone needs and responds to encouragement” (119) A study
had people do ten puzzles, and were randomly told they did well (7/10
right) or poorly (7/10 wrong). Then they were given more
puzzles, and the ones who were told they did well did better and the
ones who were told they did poorly did worse.

Henry Ford: “My best friend is the one who brings out the
best in me.” (120)

“People ‘buy into’ the leader before they ‘buy into’ his or her
leadership” (120)

“Most people do not know how to be successful” (122)

Most people think success is a point in time. Actually, it
is a process of growth.

Most people think success is learning to not fail. Actually,
success is learning from failure.

If people learn that you can make them successful, they will
follow you.

“Most people are naturally motivated.” Most kids are really
excited to go to school for the first time, but after a few years,
school manages to demotivate some of them.

What motivates people?

People want to be part of something significant.

People want to be part creating the goal.

Positive dissatisfaction. “Dissatisfaction can inspire change
or it can lead to a critical spirit.” (124)

“Am I building people, or am I building my dream and using people to
do it?” (125)

Make sure people feel like they are getting a equally good deal. If they feel like they are getting the better deal, they can become
complacent. If they feel that the other person is getting a better
deal they become resentful. But if they feel like both are getting
an equal deal, then it tends to produce mutual respect and
motivation.

Ch. 8: The Indispensable Quality of Leadership: Vision

Four levels of vision:

“Some people never see it. (They are wanderers)” (141)

“Some people see it but never pursue it on their own. (They
are followers)” (141)

“Some people see it and pursue it. (They are achievers)” (141)

“Some people see it and pursue it and help others see it. (They are leaders)” (141)

Leaders can see the dream accomplished; others see only the
normal.

How to dream: answer the following: if I had _____, I
would _____.

Personal ownership of the dream:

Look behind: what have you learned? “Experience has
taught me these principles about vision: the credibility of a
vision is determined by the leader; the acceptance of a vision
is determined by the timing of its presentation; the value of a
vision is determined by the energy and direction it gives; the
evaluation of a vision is determined by the commitment level of
people; the success of a vision is determined by its ownership
by both the leader and the people.” (146-7)

Look around you: what is happening to others? You can’t
be too far ahead of other people with your vision or it won’t be
accepted.

Look ahead of you: what is the big picture?

Look above you: what does God expect of you? Richard
Day: “Every golden era in human history proceeds from the
devotion and righteous passion of some single individual. There
are no bona fide mass movements; it just looks that way. There is always one man who knows his God and knows where he is
going.” (148)

Look beside you: what resources are available?

Corporate ownership

Levels of seeing:

Perception: seeing the now through the lens of reality.

Probability: seeing what will be by discernment.

Possibility: seeing what can be.

“A futurist lives only on Level 3. A forecaster
lives only on Level 2. A follower lives only on Level
1. A leader lives on Level 3, leads on Level 2, and
listens on Level 1.” (150)

Vision-casting starts on level 1.

Level 1: hindrances to a vision a usually a people
problem: limited leaders, concrete thinkers, dogmatic talkers,
continual losers, comfortable people, tradition lovers, people who
only feel safe in a group, people who only see problems, self-seekers,
failure forecasters.

Level 2: create the environment

Let them see that you care about them. Find a bridge between
their goals and the organization’s.

Paint a picture. Include hope, challenge, freedom, a way to
begin. Put yourself in the picture. Put what the people
love in the picture.

Level 3: find the right people and invest into them. These people have a great attitude, do not get discouraged easily,
think creative, and get stuff done.

Ch. 9: The Price Tag of Leadership: Self-Discipline

Many great leaders say that their biggest enemy is themselves. Self-discipline is essential.

We must learn to do what needs to be done now, even if we don’t want
to do it.

“It is not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do
what is required.” Winston Churchill (171)

We can’t handle having power; we need to have accountability or
we start trying to keep the power.

Focus on the results, not the activity. Work where you are best
80% of the time, where you are learning 15%, and where you are weak 5%.

Ch. 10: The Most Important Lesson of Leadership: Staff
Development

At some point, you are doing all that you can, and the only way to
improve your productivity is to work through other people.

You need to surround yourself with a team of excellent people. A
little increase from everyone translates into a huge increase.

Basic human needs that your environment must meet:

People know what is expected of them.

They know each of them will have an opportunity to perform.

They know how they are doing.

They know that they will get guidance when needed.

They know that each will be rewarded according to his contribution.

As a leader, you must have control of three areas: finance (the
ultimate means of control), personnel (people determine the
organization), planning (plans are the future of the organization).

Seven deadly leadership sins:

“Trying to be liked rather than respected.” (184)

“Not asking team members for advice and help.” (184)

“Thwarting personal talent by emphasizing rules rather than skills.”
(184)

“Not keeping criticism constructive.” (184)

“Not developing a sense of responsibility in team members.” (184)

“Treating everyone the same way.” (184)

“Failing to keep people informed.” (184)

Bobb Biehl says that 60-80% of an organization’s success is due to
having a clear direction, the right team, and sound finances.

When you hire someone, don’t hire them unless they “feel right”
(assuming they have all the other qualifications). Make sure they
and their spouse feel good about it, too.

Winning teams don’t tend to have more skilled players than losing
teams, but they are more committed.

Fire people who aren’t doing their job satisfactorily. Keeping
them frustrates everyone else. Firing them lets them go on to
something they are more suited for.